This is a list of notable persons, including students, alumni, faculty, and academic affiliates, associated with Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, United States.
University presidents
John Nobili, 1851–56 Nicholas Congiato, 1856–57 Felix Cicaterri, 1857–61 Burchard Villiger, 1861–65 Aloysius Masnata, 1865–68 Aloysius Varsi, 1868–76 Aloysius Brunengo, 1876–80 John Pinasco, 1880–83 Robert E. Kenna, 1883–88 John Pinasco, 1888–93 Joseph W. Riordan, 1893–99 Robert E. Kenna, 1899–1905 Richard A. Gleeson, 1905–10 James P. Morrissey, 1910–13 Walter F. Thornton, 1913–18 Timothy L. Murphy, 1918–21 Zacheus J. Maher, 1921–26 Cornelius J. McCoy, 1926–32 James J. Lyons, 1932–35 Louis C. Rudolph, 1935–40 Charles J. Walsh, 1940–45 William C. Gianera, 1945–51 Herman J. Hauck, 1951–58 Patrick A. Donahoe, 1958–68 Thomas D. Terry, 1968–76 William J. Rewak. 1976–88 Paul L. Locatelli, 1988–2008 Michael Engh, January 5, 2009 – 2019 Kevin O'Brien, 2019–2021 Lisa A. Kloppenberg, 2021–2022 Julie Sullivan, 2022–present
Board of trustees
Mike Carey, president of Seirus Gloves and Accessories, head referee for the NFL David C. Drummond, VP of Corporate Development and chief counsel, Google Rupert H. Johnson, Jr., vice chairman of Franklin Resources, Inc. Jack D. Kuehler, retired president of IBM Corporation J. Terrence "Terry" Lanni, CEO and chairman of the board at MGM Mirage, Las Vegas Paul L. Locatelli, S.J., former university president Lorry I. Lokey, president/owner of Business Wire A.C. (Mike) Markkula, owner of A.C.M. Investments and co-founder of Apple Computer Regis McKenna, chairman of the McKenna Group Edward A. Panelli (1955), chairman emeritus of Judicial, Arbitration and Mediation Services Leon Panetta, director of Panetta Institute for Public Policy at the California State University, Monterey Bay John A. Sobrato, chairman of Sobrato Development Companies Larry W. Sonsini, chairman and CEO of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Notable alumni
Academics
Academia
Wenona Giles, academic, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Paul Locatelli S.J. (1960), former Secretary of Jesuit Education for the Society of Jesus and former president of Santa Clara University Mary Ann Peters (1972), provost of the Naval War College Vincent Price (1979), 10th president of Duke University James V. Schall, S.J. Professor at Georgetown University Brian Swimme (1972), cosmologist at CIIS
Engineering Frank Cepollina, inventor; National Inventors Hall of Fame; deputy associate director, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Development Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Brendan Eich, B.Sc. c. 1983, creator of JavaScript, Chief Technology Officer of the Mozilla Corporation Robert Freitas (PhD), nanotechnology pioneer and legal scholar Chris Malachowsky, M.S., co-founder of NVIDIA John T. "Jack" Mullin (1936), pioneer of early magnetic tape recording technology and pioneer of the laugh track Kairan Quazi, the youngest graduate, at age 14, in 2023; software engineer at the Starlink branch of SpaceX Jayshree Ullal, CEO of Arista Networks
Science David Merritt (1977), astrophysicist at the Rochester Institute of Technology
Arts and literature
Artists
Ernest de Saisset, early Californian artist Andrew P. Hill, artist and prominent conservationist responsible for the creation of the California State Park System and Big Basin Redwoods State Park Manuel Valencia, early California landscape painter
Film and television
Andy Ackerman (1978), producer and director, Seinfeld Michelle Ashford (1983), Emmy-nominated screenwriter, The Pacific Lloyd Bacon, early Hollywood director, Knute Rockne, All American Max Baer, Jr., actor and film producer John Bailey, director and cinematographer Darren Brazil (2007), three-time Emmy Award-winning editor, producer and videographer Hank Cheyne (1980), actor Jackie Coogan, actor (dropped out) Andy Devine, Western character actor Bill Duggan, actor Nina Garbiras, actress Julie Garnyé, actress Clay M. Greene (1869), playwright Paul Hoen, director and producer Jerry Howarth (1968), radio broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays Neal Jimenez (1982), movie screenwriter and director Ron Lagomarsino (1973), movie, stage, and TV director, My Sister's Keeper, Joan of Arcadia, Driving Miss Daisy Mary Mazur (1979), television producer, American Family, vice president of KCET Sandra McCoy, actress Shemar Moore (1992), actor and host Alex Nesic, actor Barry O'Brien (1979), television writer and producer of Hanging with Mr. Cooper and CSI Miami Julie Payne, actress Mary Richardson (1968), co-anchor of Boston's WCVB-TV's Chronicle, the nation's longest-running, locally produced nightly news magazine Kurtwood Smith (1968), actor; "Red" from That '70s Show Michael Trucco, actor Adam Zotovich (1997), Broadway producer of The Color Purple, The Addams Family, View From the Bridge
Journalism Jeff Brazil (1985), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Orlando Sentinel Lawrence A. Fernsworth, journalist and author Ezra Klein, journalist, author and podcaster Michael Malone, journalist, author and former editor of Forbes ASAP Charles K. McClatchy (1901), former editor of the Sacramento Bee and co-owner of the McClatchy Company Valentine S. McClatchy (1879), former editor of the Sacramento Bee and co-owner of the McClatchy Company Gordon Young, journalist and author
Music Thomas Buckner (1964), baritone vocalist Mahesh Kale, Indian classical vocalist Paul Kantner (1959–1961), guitarist, singer, and co-founder of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship (dropped out) Jorma Kaukonen, guitarist of Jefferson Airplane Lil Rob, Mexican American rapper, producer, and actor Anthony Lun, songwriter, arranger, musical director and singer Anya Marina, singer-songwriter Anthony Quartuccio (1987), music director of West Coast Lyric Opera Kevin Waters (1965), composer, Jesuit priest, educator
Writers Everett Alvarez, author Reza Aslan (1995), Iranian-American scholar and author of No god but God Gina M. Biegel (M.A. 2005), author and psychotherapist James Billmaier (1977), author Lewis Buzbee (1979), author James W. Douglass (1960), author and activist Lawrence A. Fernsworth (1914), author and journalist Robert Freitas, author Ron Hansen, author, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Bill Hayes, non-fiction writer and photographer Khaled Hosseini (1988), international bestselling author of the nationally best-selling novels The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns Francisco Jimenez (1966), author and educator Holly Kearl (2005), author Robert Kinerk, author, journalist and playwright Bob LaMonte, NFL agent and author of Winning the NFL Way, Leadership Lessons from Some of the NFL's Top Head Coaches Michael Malone (M.B.A. 1977), author and former editor of Forbes ASAP Tom McEnery, author William McKnight (M.B.A. 1994), author and businessman Kelly Moore, New York Times bestselling author of Deadly Medicine and Amber House Dee Dee Myers, author and political commentator Paul C. Paquet (1970), author and biologist James V. Schall, writer, philosopher, priest, and educator Sherrie Gong Taguchi, author
Justices
U.S. state and territorial supreme court justices
Robert D. Durham (J.D. 1972), associate justice of Oregon Supreme Court William G. Lorigan (Ph.D. 1903), justice of the Supreme Court of California Douglas Moylan, judge on Guam's Supreme Court Edward A. Panelli (1953) (J.D. 1955), chief justice of Supreme Court of California
U.S. federal appellate judges and state appellate justices
Martin J. Jenkins (1977), associate justice of the California Supreme Court, former justice of the California Court of Appeal for the First District, former federal judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California Edward A. Panelli (J.D. 1955), former justice of the California Court of Appeal Sixth District and retired chief justice of Supreme Court of California Charles Poochigian (J.D. 1975), associate justice, California Court of Appeal Fifth District Eugene M. Premo (J.D. 1962), associate justice of the California Court of Appeal 6th District Richard C. Tallman (1975), senior judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Thomas Tang (1947), judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and first Chinese American appointed to the Federal Judiciary William Thorne (1974), justice of the Utah Court of Appeals
U.S. federal district court judges
Samuel Conti, judge, U.S. District Court Phyllis Hamilton (1976), judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of California Martin J. Jenkins (1977), former federal judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California Eugene Lynch (1953), judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of California James Francis Smith (1878), federal justice for the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
U.S. state judges
Alfred Delucchi (J.D. 1960), judge, Alameda Superior Court, and judge who presided over the trial of Scott Peterson Francis Devaney (1983), judge, San Diego County Superior Court Eugene Michael Hyman (J.D. 1977), judge, Santa Clara County Superior Court Lawrence Terry (1957), judge, Santa Clara County Superior Court Mark Thomas (1956), judge, Santa Clara County Superior Court
Entrepreneurs and business leaders Everett Alvarez (1960), president of Conwal Consulting William Dallas (1987), founder and owner, Dallas Capital David Drummond (1985), vice president and general counsel, Google Fred Franzia (1965), owner of Bronco Winery and maker of Charles Shaw wine, potentially the largest grape producer in California Pat Gelsinger (1983), former CEO of VMware and Intel Pansy Ho (1985), managing director Shun Tak Holdings and Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau Jack Kuehler (1954), former president of IBM Thomas Lavelle (1976), senior vice president, general counsel, Rambus Thomas E. Leavey (1922), co-founder of Farmers Insurance Chris Malachowsky (M.S. 1986), co-founder and Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations, NVIDIA Peter Oppenheimer (M.B.A. 1987), CFO and senior vice president of Apple Computer George Reyes (M.B.A 1979), CFO, and former senior vice president, Google Stephen Schott (1960), former owner of the Oakland Athletics John A. Sobrato (1960), billionaire owner and chairman, Sobrato Development Companies Thomas D. Terry (S.J.), president of Novitiate Wines Jayshree Ullal, CEO of Arista Networks
Politics and government
Cabinet members Mike Espy (J.D. 1978), 25th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and first African-American Secretary of Agriculture and member of the United States House of Representatives Dee Dee Myers (1983), 20th White House Press Secretary Janet Napolitano (1979), 3rd United States Secretary of Homeland Security (under President Barack Obama), 21st governor of Arizona and 23rd attorney general of Arizona Leon Panetta (1960), 23rd United States Secretary of Defense, 21st director of the CIA, former U.S. congressman, 29th director of the Office of Management and Budget, 18th White House chief of staff, chair of the United States House Committee on the Budget
United States senators Paul Laxalt (J.D.), former U.S. senator from Nevada, 22nd governor of Nevada and 23rd lieutenant governor of Nevada Frank Murkowski (1955), former U.S. senator from Alaska and 8th governor of Alaska Stephen Mallory White (1871), former U.S. senator from California, member of California State Senate as president pro tempore
United States representatives John H. Burke, member of the United States House of Representatives Mike Espy (J.D. 1978), member of the United States House of Representatives, 25th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and first African-American Secretary of Agriculture